Stay hydrated this summer with your food
Fruits and vegetables are packed with lots of water
Jun 7, 2019, 1:14 am
Theindianspot.com
Beat that summer heat while living in Texas. Did you know there are several fruits and vegetables that are packed with over 90% of water? More water, means less in calories. So, while you are out shopping for groceries this week, be sure to pick up your water friendly fruits and veggies. Add these 5 below to your grocery list and stay hydrated through the summer. And don't forget to make sure to pick up the watermelon, but WITH seeds. There are so many health benefits to watermelon seeds, check them out below.
1) Tomato
2) Lettuce
3) Red Pepper
4) Celery
5) Cucumber
6) Watermelon
Tomato- Between 93-96% water
Tomatoes are the major dietary source of the antioxidant lycopene, which has been linked to many health benefits, including reduced risk of heart disease and cancer. They are also a great source of vitamin C, potassium, folate, and vitamin K.
Lettuce- 96% water
Romaine lettuce has about 8 calories and 1-2 grams of carbohydrates per cup. Although it's low in fiber, it's high in minerals, such as calcium, phosphorous, magnesium, and potassium. It's naturally low in sodium. Plus, romaine lettuce is packed with vitamin C, vitamin K, and folate.
Calories: 8 calories Fiber: 1 g Total fat: 0.1 g
Red Peppers- 94%water
Serving Size: 1 medium. Calories: 31-37; 169% of the RDA for vitamin C. Red Peppers also contain 3 mg of vitamin B6. Vitamin K1, is a form of vitamin K, known as phylloquinone, K1 is important for blood clotting and bone health. Potassium, is an essential mineral may improve heart health. Folate, or Vitamin B9 has a variety of functions in your body. Adequate folate intake is very important during pregnancy. Red Pepper Amount: 54.7 mcg.
- Protein: 1 gram
- Carbs: 6 grams
- Sugar: 4.2 grams
- Fiber: 2.1 grams
- Fat: 0.3 grams
Celery- 95% water
Celery is very low in calories and carbohydrate. One medium stalk contains a mere 6 calories and 1.2 grams of carbohydrate. Half of the carbohydrate content in celery comes from fiber, making it a good source of fiber. One stalk of celery has a minimal amount of protein, with less than one-third of a gram per serving.
Cucumber- 96-97% water
There are just 16 calories in a cup of cucumber with its peel (15 without). You will get about 4 percent of your daily potassium, 3 percent of your daily fiber and 4 percent of your daily vitamin C. They also provide small amounts of vitamin K, vitamin C, magnesium, potassium, manganese and vitamin A.
Last, not least, my favorite...….
Watermelon- 92-94% water
Watermelon is delicious and refreshing, with tons of nutritious seeds. Even though most people spit them out, that is often a big mistake. And don't worry, unlike what you believed as a kid, if you swallow these seeds you will not grow a watermelon in your stomach.
Watermelon seeds come from the watermelon plant, which grows on the vine. The seeds come in two main colors, white and black, which are the immature (white) and fully developed (black) seeds respectively. Both seeds are good for you, however the black ones are more rich in nutrients and antioxidants. So if you have to choose, black seeds over white, or just both, there are hundreds in a watermelon.
Little fun fact that not many know. Watermelon seeds are pack with high levels of protein and amino acids. About 60% of your daily requirements can come from 1 cup of dried watermelon seeds. These seeds also have high levels of Vitamin B, as well as magnesium, zinc, copped, potassium, copper, manganese, and iron. Also, a diverse rang of fats, such as omega 3, omega 6 fatty acids, and smaller saturated fats. The nutrient density also comes along with a high-calorie count – a cup of dried watermelon seeds contains roughly 600 calories.
There are plenty of other health benefits to Watermelons seeds. Another surprisingly fun fact about watermelon seeds is, it's ability to boost hair health (growth, strong, prevent breakage, or split ends), support your skin (moisturize, wrinkles, skin elasticity, acne), increase energy, lower blood pressure, stimulate digestion, regulate blood sugar, and lower cholesterol levels. I am about to blow your mind with more benefits from eating these little black seeds everyone would always spit out. These seeds can also help with growth and development of your body's cells and tissues. Since they are packed with protein, which is composed of amino acids, this helps with the production of these tissues. Last, these seeds can reduce the risk of coronary heart disease, growth and repair of various organ systems, boost fertility, increase energy levels, lower blood pressure, and improve nerve system function.
Now if ALL those health benefits don't make you get up to go buy a watermelon, then good luck this summer !
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Sengun has 32 points and 14 rebounds as the Rockets beat the Grizzlies
Jan 10, 2025, 2:32 pm
Everyone raved about the leadership of second-year quarterback C.J. Stroud this week as the Houston Texans prepared for their wild-card playoff game against the Los Angeles Chargers.
Everyone, that is, except the man himself.
“I don’t think I’m a great (leader),” Stroud said sheepishly. “I don’t know. That’s probably a bad thing to say about yourself, but I don’t think I’m all that when it comes to leading. I just try to be myself.”
But the 23-year-old Stroud simply being himself is exactly what makes him the undisputed leader of this team.
“C.J. is authentic, he’s real,” coach DeMeco Ryans said. “It’s not only here, it’s in the locker room around the guys and that’s what leadership is to me. As you evolve as a leader, you just be authentic to yourself. You don’t have to make up anything or make up a speech or make up something to say to guys. C.J. is being C.J.”
Sixth-year offensive lineman Tytus Howard said he knew early on that Stroud would be special.
“He has that aura about him that when he speaks, everybody listens,” he said.
Stroud has helped the Texans win the AFC South and reach the playoffs for a second straight season after they had combined for just 11 wins in the three years before he was drafted second overall.
He was named AP Offensive Rookie of the Year last season, when Houston beat the Browns in the first round before falling to the Ravens in the divisional round.
His stats haven’t been as good as they were in his fabulous rookie season when he threw just five interceptions. But he has put together another strong season in Year 2 despite missing top receiver Nico Collins for five games early and losing Stefon Diggs and Tank Dell to season-ending injuries in the second half of the season. He also started every game despite being sacked a whopping 52 times.
“He’s taken some crazy shots,” Howard said. “But even if he’s getting sacked and stuff like that, he just never lets that get to him. He just continues to fight through it, and it basically uplifts the entire offense.”
He also finds ways to encourage the team off the field and works to build chemistry through team get-togethers. He often invites the guys over to his house for dinner or to watch games. Recently, he rented out a movie theater for a private screening of “Gladiator II.”
“He’s like, ‘I want the guys to come in and bond together because this thing builds off the field and on the field,’” Howard said. “So, we need to be closer.”
Another thing that makes Stroud an effective leader is that his teammates know that he truly cares about them as people and not just players. That was evident in the loss to the Chiefs when Dell was seriously injured. Stroud openly wept as Dell was tended to on the field and remained distraught after he was carted off.
“It was good for people to see me in that light and knowing that there is still a human factor to me,” he said. "And I think that was good for people to see that we’re just normal people at the end of the day.”
Stroud said some of the leaders who molded him were his father, his coaches in high school and college, and more recently Ryans.
His coach said Stroud has been able to lead the team effectively early in his career because he knows there are others he can lean on if he needs help.
“Understanding that it’s not all on him as a leader, it’s all of our guys just buying in, doing what they have to do,” Ryans said. “But also, C.J. understanding a lot of guys are looking up to him on the team and he takes that role seriously. But it’s not a heavy weight for him because we have other leaders, as well, around him.”
Stroud considers himself stubborn and though some consider that a bad quality, he thinks it’s helped him be a better leader. He's had the trait as long as he can remember.
“That kind of carried into the sport,” he said. “Even as a kid, my mom used to always say how stubborn I was and just having a standard is how I hear it. It’s stubborn (but) I just have a standard on how I like things to be done and how I hold myself is a standard.”
And, to be clear, he doesn’t consider himself a bad leader, but he did enjoy hearing that others on the team consider him a great one.
“I just don’t look at myself in that light of just I’m all-world at that,” he said. “But I try my best to lead by example and it’s cool because I don’t ask guys and to hear what they have to say about that is kind of cool.”
Though he doesn’t consider himself a great leader, Stroud does have strong feelings about what constitutes one. And he’s hoping that he’ll be able to do that for his team Saturday to help the Texans to a victory, which would make him the sixth quarterback in NFL history to start and win a playoff game in both of his first two seasons.
“That would be making everybody around you better,” he said of great leaders. “Kind of like a point guard on the offense, the quarterback on the football team, the pitcher on a baseball team — just making everybody around you better.”